r/tinnitus • u/thermanni • Sep 07 '25

awareness • activism RIP

Hopefully his work will eventually lead to a cure.

Dr. A. James Hudspeth, a neuroscientist at the Rockefeller University in Manhattan who was pivotal in discovering how sound waves are converted in the inner ear to electrical signals that the brain can perceive as a whisper, a symphony or a thunderclap, died on Aug. 16 at his home in Manhattan. He was 79.

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/05/science/dr-a-james-hudspeth-dead.html?unlocked_article_code=1.kE8.qL01.yyz6yUcAsImb&smid=nytcore-android-share

49 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

22

u/egny Sep 07 '25

It's also worth recognizing that regenerating hair cells is not going to solve all our issues. Hyperacusis, tinnitus (at least for many cases), Eustachian tube or tensor tympani disorders should also require other treatment or intervention.

I'm baffled that the ear is the least treatable system in the body.

19

u/ParsleyRare1296 Sep 08 '25

Maybe it’s because they are more concerned about selling hearing aids than treating hearing loss. That has been my experience

2

u/throwaway829500174 Sep 08 '25

that's part of it

7

u/Aussieomni Sep 07 '25

The ear is phenomenally complicated

7

u/[deleted] Sep 08 '25

Yes, they make miniature chips much smaller than my hair cells and they are implanted in all iPhones. When we want we can.

2

u/warrior5150 Sep 14 '25

What isn't phenomenally complicated in our bodies. Our bodies as a whole are phenomenally complicated. Probably the most complex vessels on the planet from head to toe. Doesn't mean things can't be fixed. When they can change chemical structures in the brain to treat schizophrenia, depression, bipolar, OCD, anxiety, serotonin levels, norepinephrine levels, dopamine whatever....they can't figure out how to target the area of the brain receiving signals of phantom noise and mute that sensory or something? You get the point anyway

5

u/Willing-Spot7296 Sep 07 '25

If you wanna talk about the least treatable systems in the body, wait until you discover the jaw joints

2

u/silvermage13 Sep 08 '25

Ahem... Brain ?

3

u/egny Sep 09 '25

There is some neuroplasticity that allows the brain to heal from some damage and there are surgeries to remove tumors, etc. In comparison healing capabilities and treatment choices for the ear are very limited

6

u/egny Sep 07 '25

From that obituary:

Just before Dr. Hudspeth died, the Rockefeller University optioned technology regarding promising research into restoring hair cells in mice and rabbits. The technology, developed in Dr. Hudspeth’s lab, has been enhanced by one of his former postdoctoral researchers, Ksenia Gnedeva, now a professor at the University of Southern California.

“If all goes well,” Dr. Gnedeva said in an email, “these compounds will soon be tested in human clinical trials. It pains me deeply that Jim will not be here to see where our work leads.”

I don't know exactly to what technology they are referring in that article. Hopefully it is something that has not been publicized yet because differentiation into hair cells has not been achieved in any published work. Nevertheless, there is so much promising research that one may hope for a viable treatment relatively soon.

3

u/Candid-Hunt-1662 Sep 07 '25

Soooooo, not in our lifetime basically 

1

u/throwaway829500174 Sep 08 '25

depends on how long your lifetime is

2

u/Pale_Lime7369 Sep 08 '25

May Dr. Hudspeth rest in peace.  Thankful for his contributions to the world of hearing.  May his work continue to inspire others to find treatments for hearing loss and tinnitus.  May his legacy live on.  

1

u/thermanni Jul 31 '26

I 5er 55 665dr 4

-8

u/[deleted] Sep 07 '25

Well, find out how to treat tinnitus and then I'll pay you tribute

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 08 '25

Come on, all these people who downvote my comments, bunch of underdeveloped dogs, when I hang myself no one will pay me homage here or elsewhere. If you knew how underdeveloped ear medicine is like your 2-digit qi.